From Beauty John, Lafia
The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) said it has evolve proactive design that would offer numerous export support programmes throughout the country for effective export trade liberalization.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the council, Olusegun Awolowo revealed the council’s plan of action at a one day sensitization workshop on NEPC in Lafia, the Nasarawa state Capital.
Awolowo said the new intervention programmes are aimed at enhancing product quality focused on specific sectors through capacity building and infrastructural provision to help exporters build and increase competitiveness in international markets.
Awolowo, represented by the Deputy Director, National Export Offices Department, Andy Dauda Anbikpeten said the sensitization workshop was organized to bring the activities and programme of the council to the corridor of the private sector.
He said, in response to the recent economic recession and present challenges of Covid19 pandemic, NEPC has designed export programmes and initiatives to grow the economy especially on zero oil plan, youth export development programme, women in export which he said was in line with the present administration diversification drive policy.
He explained further that the council has initiated various programmes to stimulate trade liberalization among nation’s and to actualize it’s mandate in various fields in the country and globally.
“NEPC is expanding it’s areas of operations nationally and internationally aimed at repositioning the council for effective implementation and coordination on one state one product export initiative and promotion of other exportable product across the country”, Awolowo revealed.
Earlier, the Nasarawa State head of the council, Otega Joe Adulugba had said the workshop was one of the strategic plan to increase the awareness level of the stakeholders knowledge and skills in order to promote and diversify the nation’s basket of non oil export trade in the country.
While describing Nasarawa state as an endowed state, Adulugba lamented however the long age neglect of trade opportunities that would have raised the revenue base of the state, develop the potentials of the state.
“It is in view of the aforegoing that the council considered it imperative to call together stakeholders on the need to stimulate increase output in line with international best practices and improve the export performance of all the subsectors in the state,” he said.
